Name: Ric Austin Hogerheide Jr. (a.k.a. DJ Raja)
Age: 21
Hometown: Grand Blanc, MI
What first made you interested in becoming a D.J.?
Well, to get into dj’ing, I had a weird transition. I started out as a nightclub promoter for a nightlife company here in Morgantown, WV. One night, a party that I was promoting had the dj just not show up. The owner of the nightclub approached me and asked if I wanted to just use their equipment and cover for the night. They were going to pay me more than I was already making so of course I jumped at the chance. After that night though, I was hooked. The music became my drug of choice and I just couldn’t stop doing it.
What do you enjoy most about it?
To be honest, the thing I enjoy most about dj’ing is becoming a better dj. It’s that drive to find the best new music, to work on your craft, and to just go out and put on an awesome show. It’s an awesome feeling to play a killer set, and step down from the booth and just have everybody say how sick that was; so I can’t deny that. But you have to put in the work before that to get that good.
What have you learned from it?
Dj’ing has taught me tons of little life lessons; the key one being how to read people and make anybody and everybody have a good time. You can’t play music and do a show to just one crowd. If you want to be a great dj, you have to be well rounded in order to have everybody appreciate you.
What are your future plans?
I am currently working for two different radio stations, as well as spinning in nightclubs, and would love to continue to work in the radio and nightclub industry. The two somewhat go hand in hand, and I would love to have the opportunity to play music for a living for the rest of my life. So request Dj Raja in all of your nightlife venues!
D.J. Raja Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/therealraja
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at WVU chapter.